Keyboard-clearing means for calculating machines



E.E. PHlNNEY.

KEYBOARD CLEARiNG MEANS FOR CALCULATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8, I920,

Patented Oct. 17, 1922.

SHEETSSHEET I.

3 vwcntcw 21 6.5% 61/040004 W;

E. E. PHINNEY. KEYBOARD CLEARING MEANS FOR CALCULATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAIL B, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 17, 1922..

Patented Oct. 17, 1922.

UNITED STATES YORK.

1,432,616 PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR E. PHINNEY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 MONROE CALCU-LATING- MACHINE COMPANY, 0! ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWApplication filed March 8,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDGAR E. PHINNEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of West Orange, in the county of Essex and Stateof New Jersey, have made a certain new and useful Invention inKeyboard-Clearing Means for Calculating Machines; and I declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

Figure 1 is a sectional. view of a machine embodying the invention,taken on the line l1, Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a side view of the machine, with the casing partly brokenaway.

Figure 8 is a detail plan view, with parts in section, of pivoted,members 141 and 21, and adjacent parts.

Figure 4: is a detail elevation of the adjusting key.

Figure 5 is a detail face view'of the return key.

Figure 6 is a similar view of the clear key.

justing and return keys and parts operated thereby in positions oppositeto those shown. in Figure 2.

The invention has relation to means for automatically clearing thekeyboards of calculating machines after the key-value registration iscompleted and during the last portion of the stroke or movement of anoperating member, said means being operative or inoperative according tothe manual adjustment or setting of an element thereof-and an object ofthe invention is to provide key-controlled setting means. Other objectsand advantages will appear.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations ofparts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment of the inventionas applied to a machine of the general type of the reissue patents toBaldwin, No. 13,841 and Monroe No. 1,306,606, the numeral 1, designatesdenominational keys arranged in a plurality of banks or series, thestems 9 Figure 7 is a detail side view of the ad- HEISSUED bars 4 is anendwise slidable or reciprocatory bar 12, common to all of the rock barsand havin upstanding teeth 13 engaging laterally al of the rock bars andadapted upon endwise movement thereof to move all of the rock bars outof engagement with'the key stem notches, thereby releasing all de-.

pressed keys.

Means are provided to move the slide or bar 12 in one dlrection torelease all depressed keys of the different banks or series as stated,after the key-value registration is completed, consisting of adouble-beveled cam member 18, loosely mounted upon the shaft 19, of theoperatin member or crank handle, the gear wheel %6, fast upon said shafthaving a pin 29, engaging either'of diametrically opposite shoulders 30of said cam 'member according to the direction of movement of the crankhandle, and thereby causing said member to rotate or move with said gearwheel, either of the beveled or cam surfaces 17 of said member beingthereby caused to engage onearm 16 of a vertically movable lever 14,said lever being fulcrumed upon pin 15, and in turn actuating ahorizontally movable lever 21,

the latter engaging one end of and actuatin said slide 12. I

%he lever 14 is movable laterally as a whole upon its'pivot pin 15, andis thereby brought into or out of the path of movement of the cam member18, whereby the keyboard is either cleared or not cleared in theoperation of the crank handle, according to the nature of the problembeing performed, there being no clearing of the keyboard in theperformance of multiplication or division except at the end of therepeated addition or subtraction operations. I

Means are provided to so move the lever 14 as a whole laterally upon itspivot pin, consisting of a repeat key 21, the stem of which is providedwith a cam slot 30 engaged by the other or tail arm 31 of said lever,and having cam walls 32and 33, one of which in the depression of saidkey will shift said lever laterally as stated, and the other of whichwill in the return movement of the key upwardly, return said lever tonormal position.

The repeat key is moved upwardly or returned. to normal position {asstated, by means of a return key 35, engaging at its lower end at 35 onearm of a rock lever 34,

the other arm of said rock lever having at 34. operating engagement withthe lower end of the repeat key. The keys 21' and 35 have an operatingmovement correspondlng to that of the denominational or numeral ke s'llcans are provided whereby upon partial depression of either the repeatkey or the return key to move the rocklever 34 past central orintermediate position, the rock lever and the key depressed are causedto automatically complete the full strokes thereof, consisting of alatch lever 38, one arm of which is provided with a doublebeveled camhead 37 either beveled or cam surface of which (according; ts thedirection of movement) is engaged by ,an antifriction roller or stud 36located at the lower end of a central downward extension of said rocklever, thereby actuating the latch lever against the tension of its.spring 39 during the first portion of the stroke of the key depressed,until said roller has passed the point of said cam head, the spring ofthe latch lever then acting to return the same to normal position andengaging the other beveled or cam surface thereof with said roller andactuating the rock lever and the key depressed to automatically completethe strokes thereof. In this way a quick touch upon the repeat or returnkey will effect a secure setting or.lateral adjustment of the lever 14as stated.

A clearkey 22, operable at will, is provided with a longitudinal slotengaged by the tail arm of the lever 14, the upper wall of said slot inthe depression of said key causing vertical actuation of said lever toclear the keyboard.

I claim 1. In a key-set calculating machine,

REFS? Iii? spring-retracted numeral keys, means for retaining said keysin depressed position,

- an operating device, means cooperating with said operating device andcapable of moving said retaining means to release said keys and clearthe keyboard, including an element settable to inoperative position, anda key having a cam wall engaging and acting to set said element toinoperative or operative position.

3. In a key-set calculating machine, an operating shaft,spring-retracted numeral keys, means for retaining said keys indepressed position, means for releasing the keys from said retainingmeans including a cam on said operating shaft and an adjustable lever,and means for adjusting said lever longitudinally of said shaft, into orout of contacting position with said cam, including a depressible keyhaving a cam wall engaging said lever.

4. Ina key-set calculating machine, an operating shaft, spring-retractednumeral keys, means for retaining said keys in depressed position, meansfor releasing the keys from said retaining means including a cam on saidoperating shaft and an adjustable lever, and means for adjusting saidlever longitudinally of said shaft, into or out of contacting positionwith said'cam, including a depressible key having a slot formed withopposite cam walls engaging said lever.

1 In testimony whereof I aflix my signature I in presence of twowitnesses.

' EDGAR E. PHINNEY.

Witnesses:

' L. D. TAGGART,

C. G. BRITTEN, Jr.

